Today we’d like to introduce you to Shay.
Hi Shay , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
March 2018 I took a permanent makeup training course and thats when it all began!
Little back story, February 2018 I had my son, April 2019 I had his brother and by October 2019 I became a single mom of 3 (my 6 year old, 1.5 year old and 6 month old). My decision to become a permanent makeup artist was one of the best things I could have done for my little family of 4 as it allowed me flexibility to raise them as the primary parent and the financial means to provide for us solely on my own.
I started taking clients out of a room at a spa that I was managing and had been working at for years. 3 years into growing my clientele and perfecting my skills I renovated two of the rooms at this location to give me enough space for the training program I developed that would teach other women to become a permanent makeup artist.
In summer of 2021 I remember sitting on my couch, I had just put the kids to sleep and I was in a dark place, heartbroken and feeling very overwhelmed with everything in my life. I knew I had a purpose/calling much greater than what i was living in at that moment so I had a heart to heart with God and over the next few weeks I was building a business plan on paper that would later become Island Girl Ink.
Between the years of 2021 and 2024 I had been manifesting exactly what Island Girl Ink would look and feel like, what services we would offer, I developed all the protocols and consent forms during this time too. All the while not knowing how I would ever financially pay for this vision. However that was never my concern, because once God gives you a vision there isn’t anything that can stand in the way of it becoming a reality.
Summer of 2024 I took my daughter into my hair girl (who of course knows all my secrets) to get her hair cut for school. She mentioned the landlord of the plaza asked her if she knew anyone who was looking to lease out the building over and right away she thought of me, and from there on the stars aligned just perfectly.
I looked at the unit from the outside windows. From the looks of it the unit hadn’t been updated in yearssss (during renovations I found a phone book from the 90s if that tells you anything). However the layout was absolutely perfect. It had the open concept I had wrote about in 2021 in my business plan, it had two backrooms already built in for the potential renters that i also wrote about, knowing i would need them to help with the rent, it had another closed in room that was perfect for piercings (a service I wrote about providing on my business plan). (If you want to know exactly how perfect it was, the piercing room was the exact size needed (to the inch) that is required by the Florida health department to preform piercings in). I asked for some time to make the final decision to sign the lease agreement, I believe I extended that process for about 1.5 weeks. During this time I prayed, and prayed hard, because from the looks of my bank account I didn’t have the funds to renovate the unit let alone pay first last and security. During this time while i was applying for loan after loan and getting denied left and right, I was content in this though knowing that if this final piece didn’t come through that now wasn’t the time, because Gods timing is perfect and I wasn’t going to rush it. During this week and a half I calculated every single expense that could possibly arise during renovations, this included: new electrical, new flooring, signage, paint, furniture, cabinetry, start up products, licensing just every single thing you could think of and I came up with an estimated total that it would cost to open up Island Girl Ink.
After getting denied from all loan companies I knew I had one last resort. I called my grandfather, the man who raised me as his own. He was only my last resort because I didn’t want to put him in a position that put him at risk in any way. I prefaced our conversation by letting him know that I am content in whatever his decision is to financially help me and know that if now is not the time that I feel okay with that. At the end of our conversation he said he didn’t believe it was the right time, because of the economy and a few other reasons, I had planned to email the leasing agent for the unit later that day and let her know that I would not be moving forward. Hours later I had got the kids to sleep, got out my tablet to write the email and my grandfather called, it was past 10pm (not his usual time at all), he said he had been praying about it all day and that he felt God gave him the okay, so he was going to provide the funds I needed to renovate the unit and execute my business plan for Island Girl Ink. I got off the phone and just cried and thanked God for this blessing. To protect my grandfather we did all legal documentation for a proper loan and he essentially was my banker, however the interest was way better 😉
Instead of writing an email to not move forward with leasing the unit i was writing an email asking to send over the lease document to sign, this awes August 1, 2024. And thats how it began! My boys father helped me navigate the renovations and was able to save me tons of money on projects that I had expected to be much higher. Two months later I took my first client at Island Girl Ink. Tomorrow will be our first birthday at Island Girl Ink! This year definitely hasn’t come without any growing pains, but nothing worth having comes easy.
As I sat here and wrote this detailed story of how Island Girl Ink came about I have paused numerous times to make pancakes for the kids, break up sibling arguments, text a few clients back and so many more things that had me on the verge of just closing this tablet and getting to it another time. However this is truly the life of a business owner/single mom. There is no balance, we just do what we have to do every single day to grow our business, take care of our kids, and keep our sanity. It’s not for the faint of heart, thats for sure. But it’s possible.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh jeez where do I begin, my To Do list is never ending, and as soon as something gets checked off something gets added! I’ve learned that this is just what it is! There’s definitely struggles but they don’t come without great blessings.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a licensed tattoo artist and I specialize in permanent makeup. My style of permanent makeup is known for its natural results! Clients come to me because they know I am going to give them a look that is customized to them, so realistic and very natural. I specialize in all brow techniques (microblading, powder brow, combo brow, man brows). I also do lip blushing and lash liner.
I train people to do what I do as well, and that program I am very proud of. I developed it from a place of not feeling like I received what I truly needed when I started. So I took everything I know, created a manual of all my tips and tricks, I dont gate- keep anything and the people who train with me have forever support, I am just a text/call away.
I think what sets me apart from other artists is my very personalized approach with each client. I take time to genuinely get to know my clients, understand what they’re looking for and how I can give them an experience that feels extremely personal. They come in clients and leave as a friend. I am very much a perfectionist and my clients appreciate that. My goal was never to “see7-8 clients a day” it was about impacting one client at a time and growing organically. And thats exactly what I’ve done over the last 7 years.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I’ve grown up here! I feel very fortunate to be able to establish a business in a place I’ve called home for my entire life!
What do I like least? It feels like it gets hotter and hotter every year, currently melting by the pool as i try to entertain the kids and complete this interview! lol
Pricing:
- New eyebrows $400
- Brow lamination, tint and wax $115
- Piercings $65+
- Body Tattoos $100+
- Permanent Makeup Training $2000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.islandgirlink.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shayrenae.ink/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LunaCosmeticTattooingStudio/
Image Credits
Audrey Marie
Ciara Nichole
Natalie Lay
